9 Teeth Care Tips From Dentists That Shouldn’t Be Ignored

It’s good to have a friend who is a dentist, right? Of course, they won’t treat you for free but they can always give you some useful piece of advice and warn you of dangers you may have never even thought about. And surprisingly, our oral health depends on even the smallest details.

We at Bright Side didn’t know about these little things. But now we won’t spend hours drinking a cup of coffee.

1. Don’t brush your teeth right after having a meal.

It’s really easy to damage your enamel this way (especially if you use a hard toothbrush). Food and drinks disrupt the pH-balance in the mouth and make the tooth enamel a little softer for a short time. Dentists recommend brushing teeth at least 30-40 minutes after having a meal.

2. Swimming pool visitors are at risk.

Of course, nobody says that swimming is not beneficial for your health. But the problem is that the chemicals used to disinfect the water in swimming pools have a terrible effect on the teeth. In the 80s, American scientists published the results of a study that focused on the health of teeth of professional swimmers, 40% of whom suffered from tooth enamel damage.

So, what should you do? Try to keep the swimming pool water out of your mouth and swim in fresh or salt water in the summertime.

3. You should drink your coffee right away and not over the course of 30 minutes.

Think about the way we drink tea or coffee at work. We pour the full cup of hot coffee and drink it in small sips, constantly talking to our colleague, and answering e-mails. While we are doing it, the coffee (especially coffee with sugar) is working on destroying the enamel of our teeth. So, it’s best to drink this beverage as quickly as possible.

4. There is a reason why gynecologists recommend having your teeth checked before planning a pregnancy.

First, a cavity is an open source of infection that spreads from the tooth tissues to the gums and could then get into the bloodstream and affect the fetus. This could lead to premature birth and the baby having serious congenital diseases.

Second, periodontitis is also really dangerous because it might decrease the reproductive ability for both men and women. And even if conception happens, the baby might be born prematurely or with a really low birth weight.

5. Brushing your teeth in the shower or on the toilet is not the best idea.

While taking care of your teeth, it’s best if you don’t get distracted by anything else. This is a process that needs to be done very attentively. And in order to teach your children to brush their teeth for a certain time, doctors recommend turning on their favorite song. It will grab your baby’s attention for 2-3 minutes (this is how long it takes to remove dental plaque and get rid of bacteria).

6. Beans can damage bad teeth even more.

Who would have thought that beans could damage teeth? It’s all about the phytohemagglutinin that they contain, it’s the protein that provokes quick cell division. If you have a tooth cavity, eating beans can lead to a granuloma. Of course, the risk is quite low, but it’s best to make sure you have no dental problems before you eat beans.

7. Oral health is connected with our memory

Scientists conducted research with 273 volunteers who were 55 years old and older. And they came to the conclusion that people who don’t have all their teeth had a worse memory, were more irritable, and were more susceptible to mood swings. As a result, there is a theory that losing teeth makes the number of sensory signals that they send to the brain lower.

This is why dentists recommend using every opportunity you get to save a tooth. It’s great that today there are even technologies that allow you to reconstruct the tooth if you have only the root.

8. A child’s bite can be changed by a cold.

Of course, if a child gets a cold once or twice a year, it’s perfectly normal. But if a person gets a cold too often in early childhood, they might have a problem with their bite. A person who can’t breathe through their nose is forced to breathe through their mouth. The facial skeleton is easily deformed at this age, and this might cause the lower jaw to move a little forward.

In this case, a dentist might recommend seeing a specialist first to make sure the nose is fine. Otherwise, the effort you put into fixing the bite can be useless.

9. Don’t chew on ice and don’t pierce your tongue.

If you catch yourself always chewing on ice (or eating a lot of nuts), you can damage your gums and your tooth enamel. Your dental fillings are also at risk. The same goes for piercing your tongue: a piece of metal in your tongue is a source of possible mechanical damage to your teeth.

So, don’t use your teeth to open packs of food, cans of coke, and so on. It’s better to spend several more seconds to do it properly and not put your teeth in danger.

Do you have your own tooth care secrets? Are you ready to share them with us in the comment section below?